News in Brief: A State Capitals Roundup

Calif. Class-Size Funds Fall Short

Californias landmark class-size reduction effort hit a snag last
week when the state education department announced that funding for new
classrooms will come up $151 million short of first-year requests.

As part of last summer's $1 billion initiative to lower K-3 class
sizes to 20 students, lawmakers set aside $200 million for facility
needs.

But the department has already received applications for 14,000
classrooms, a number that adds up to $351 million, according to new
data.

"We expect districts to phase in class-size reduction, and therefore
we expect more demand in the coming years," said Delaine Eastin, the
state superintendent of schools.

State funding for facilities is limited to $25,000 per classroom.
The actual cost to set up a classroom, which may include the purchase
of a modular unit, can reach $50,000.

All applications for 1st grade classrooms were funded at the
requested levels, though $151 million in requests for other grades will
go unfunded this year. The deadline for applying was Nov. 1.

Earlier this fall, legislators failed in their effort to put a
school-facilities bond issue on this week's statewide ballot.

Despite the lack of state funding, many districts have seized on the
idea of smaller classes. Portable classroom manufacturers in California
plan to more than double their production, from 3,500 rooms last year
to 8,000 this year. ("Calif. Scurries
To Find Space For Students," Oct. 9, 1996.)

"We hope to have a special election in 1997 or a bond issue in 1998
to address class-size reduction and all the state's facilities issues,"
said Terry Bradley, the vice chairman of the state Coalition for
Adequate School Housing.

S.C. Chief Backs More Kindergarten

The new education budget proposed by South Carolina's schools chief
asks for money that would allow all children to enroll in the state's
full-day kindergarten program.

The $258 million education budget for fiscal 1998 asks for an extra
$39 million to pay for full-day kindergarten for all South Carolina
children. The legislature approved a full-day-kindergarten plan earlier
this year, but only for at-risk children.

The increase requested by state Superintendent Barbara Stock Nielsen
would allow the state to pay its portion of the full-day program, which
is currently funded 70 percent by the state and 30 percent by matching
local funds.

"We still have a long way to go on this," Ms. Nielsen said. The
request moves to Gov. David M. Beasley, who will present his fiscal
1998 budget to lawmakers early next year.

Beyond the kindergarten aid, the education department request also
asks for $42 million for teacher training; $29 million for new
technology; and $24 million for instructional materials.

Ms. Nielsen's plan would also require the state's 638,000 students
to earn additional high school credits in math, science, and foreign
language to graduate, a change that would cost $16 million.

Vol. 16, Issue 10

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